Summary

The bill adds a provision to The King's Bench Act authorizing King's Bench judges to attend meetings, conferences, or seminars related to the administration of justice with the chief justice's approval, enabling expense reimbursement under federal law. The bill received royal assent on May 13, 2025.

This bill makes a technical change to Saskatchewan's law governing the King's Bench (the province's superior trial court). It adds explicit provincial authorization for King's Bench judges to attend professional meetings, conferences, and seminars that relate to the administration of justice, as long as the chief justice approves. This authorization triggers a provision in the federal Judges Act that allows reimbursement of expenses for such attendance. Without this provincial statute, the federal reimbursement mechanism would not apply. The bill does not specify what types of events qualify or set spending limits, leaving those determinations to the chief justice's approval process and federal rules. The change affects how judges' professional development expenses are handled but does not alter the court's jurisdiction or decision-making authority.